Standing in faith
- Julie-Anne England
- May 24, 2021
- 3 min read
Let me share a story of faith with you...
A friend of our family had just found out that she was pregnant. She was overjoyed with the news that her husband and herself would soon bring the first grandchild into their family both on her side and his. When it came time for the 12 week scan and blood work, the couple showed up with excitement and anticipation. They couldn’t wait to see their baby on the monitor. That day filled their hearts with joy as they saw their little miracle kicking and moving around on the screen.
Then a few days later they were called in to see their doctor. The tests results had come back showing that their daughter had down syndrome. She had 2 holes in her heart and they were told that the best decision was to terminate the pregnancy. The couple were crushed at the diagnosis and both they and their families and friends spent much time in prayer about their situation. The grief at being told that their child wasn’t normal was at times unbearable but for this season the couple needed to have extreme faith. Together they decided that they would continue with the pregnancy and they would love this little girl with everything they had and be the best parents they could be for her despite her disability.
It was a long and often scary pregnancy, seeing scan after scan of the heart defects and being told to expect the worse. During this time their friends and family supported them by holding them up in prayer and having faith that God would guide this situation.
At the end of the pregnancy the couple went to the hospital to birth their baby daughter, not knowing what to expect after her arrival. Hours later as the baby emerged from the womb the couple we completely delighted to find out that she was completely normal. A beautiful baby daughter was placed in the mother’s arms. Further tests also showed that her little heart was perfectly formed with no signs of any defect. The couple rejoiced with their family and friends at the miracle God had performed.
What I love about this story is not necessarily the happy ending (although obviously I do love that part), but the part I love the best is where this couple held onto their faith that God would do His best for their lives even against the odds. Being Christians we often expect to skip the bad parts and just live the best parts of life but that is simply not how life goes. It says in the bible that we need to see troubles in our lives as an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2). This might not make much sense as we tend to see the bad parts of our lives as just that – bad! However, these are the times when our endurance is tested, our relationship with God grows and we are molded more into the people God has created us to be.
The scary thought with this story was that this couple could have made the decision to terminate the pregnancy. This would have been tragic in so many ways; the loss of a precious life, an unseen miracle and the loss of an amazing opportunity to grow in their faith and see God’s goodness.
The bible says in Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
What is God trying to show us in our circumstances that we are currently missing?
How could expanding our faith and putting our trust in God do anything but grow us?
Today try to look at your circumstance in a new light and ask God to show you what you are missing.